Purple marks domestic violence awareness in Gaston County

The Gaston County Sheriff's Office served 615 more restraining orders last year than in 2015, and advocates for victims of domestic violence say that increase points to a disturbing trend.

"We have one common misconception about domestic violence," said Rett Waggoner, a domestic violence court advocate for the Sheriff's Office. "It is not subject to one particular group or demographic of individuals. It goes through race, sex, doesn't care if you're male or female. Doesn't care how much money you make. It is a big, growing problem."

Fifteen people were killed by their intimate partners in Gaston County in the last five years. They were found shot to death in bedrooms and burned in their homes. Some were run over by cars and others were stabbed, and their deaths came at the hands of spouses, lovers, and parents.

Waggoner and other advocates for the victims of domestic violence want local residents to look beyond statistics and see the real names and faces of victims. They're impossible to avoid in a display set up for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, clearly visible next to the magistrate's office at the county jail.

"Having a name and face makes it real," Waggoner said.

Megan Buck also knows firsthand the impact domestic violence has on the community. She serves as outreach specialist at The Shelter of Gaston County, an eight-bedroom, 32-resident shelter for women in abusive relationships.

Buck says that in 2016 alone, staff fielded 1,080 domestic violence crisis calls. The shelter housed 165 women and 171 children in that same time frame.

She says that too often people keep their situations to themselves. But if someone notices a friend acting a little off, it's a good idea to have a conversation with him or her about what's going on, Buck said.

"Abusive relationships are all about power and control," Buck said. "I would say anytime someone recognizes that someone else doesn't feel right, their friend doesn't act like they usually act, they don't come around, they don't see them, they can all be signs. If they have that gut instinct, definitely reach out to that friend."

Purple is the official color of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and purple lights have been set up in front of the Sheriff's Office. At Gastonia Police Department, a domestic violence-related display is set up in the lobby, and brochures from The Shelter and Phoenix Counseling are available for those affected.

The Sheriff's Office also purchased ads that will play before PG-13 and R-rated movies at Gastonia's Regal Franklin Square cinema, warning of the impact domestic violence has.

Waggoner says it's important to be aware of this issue more often than just October of each year.

"Domestic violence should never be for just one month," Waggoner said. "It's a growing problem in our county, as well as across our whole state."

The Sheriff's Office served 2,066 restraining orders in total last year, a number Waggoner credits to heightened awareness.

Anybody in a domestic violence situation can pursue a restraining order by calling the Gaston County Sheriff's Office at 704-869-6800.